Auction Rules/Terms

Terms & Conditions of Auction

  1. RegistrationAll bidders must be registered through our website in order to participate in the auction (you will only have to register once for future auctions – inactive accounts for 1 year will have to re-register).  Please do not wait until the last minute to register.  Please click on the My Account tab to start the registration process – you will be able to choose your own username & password.  If you lose your password you can reset it through the “My Account” tab and then click on “Lost Password.”  You may register by phone or email if you are having trouble registering online (we will need your: Full Name, Address, Phone Number, Email, & Industry References (if applicable to help determine your bidding limits).  Your credit card information must be entered in order for you to register to bid.  International bidders MUST be pre-approved.  Your username will be masked for privacy during the auctions.  
  2. BiddingBidding begins immediately upon the launch of the auction on our website.  Once you are registered, you may bid online through your account 24/7 until the close of the auction.  Each lot ends every 30 seconds and each lot is a soft close (meaning any bids entered in the last 5 minutes will add 5 extra minutes to that lot – other lots will proceed to close as scheduled).  All bidding is done via Proxy/Automatic Bidding (meaning you only have to enter your maximum bid for a lot once & the auction software will bid on your behalf so that you don’t have to keep placing bids manually each time you may be outbid).  All bids are confidential and only you, the bidder, can see what your maximum bid for a given lot is.  You will be able to keep track of your winning lots & current bids through your “My Account” page.  You will not receive email alerts for being the “high bidder” or being “outbid” by email (this enables the auction to run smooth – less of a load on the server ).  Consignors may NOT bid on any of their own items directly or indirectly through another user.  We can view users’ IP addresses & geographic locations through the auction software.
  3. Buyers Premium – 10% PREMIUM Cash/Check/Wire —— (15% For Items Paid For Via Credit Card)
  4. Bidding Increments
    • $1 to $100                          $5 Increments
    • $100 to $200                     $10 Increments
    • $200 to $1,000                 $25 Increments
    • $1,000 to $2,000              $50 Increments
    • $2,000 to $5,000              $100 Increments
    • $5,000 to $10,000            $200 Increments
    • $10,000 to $50,000          $250 Increments
    • $50,000 & Up                     $500 Increments
  5. Item/Lot InformationGrading & conditions listed are subjective.  Please view all photos listed with each item (sometimes we will take a photo of a hand written item description).  Some lots, where we have multiple items of the same type of product in the auction may contain photos showing all of those items together.  This is to show you that the lot is not a duplicate listing which may have been made by mistake.  The auction title & main photo will show you exactly what is included in that lot.  Please notify us by email if you need additional photos of any lots (within reason) – please do not wait until the day before the auction ends to do so.  Any item description statement made by Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC is a statement of opinion and does not constitute a warranty or representation.  Items with authentication from 3rd party companies are sold as-is and we do not stand behind any of their opinions.  Carat weights are approximate.
  6. Payment – Invoices will be sent to all winning bidders within 3 business days after the close of the auction.  Invoices will be sent via email to the email address that you have on file.  Invoice will contain all of your winning lots plus shipping & insurance costs.  Payment instructions will be included with your invoice.  Invoices are payable upon receipt and due no later than 14 days from the date on the invoice.  Payments may be made by: Cash, Check, Money Order, & Wire Transfer ($30 Fee)(Only for orders over $10,000)Credit Cards will only be accepted for invoices totaling $2,500 or less (including shipping & insurance costs).  You may not split your invoices up to pay with multiple credit cards.  We do not accept Venmo or PayPal.  Items paid by cash and credit card will be processed/shipped immediately.  Wire Transfer orders will be processed/shipped in 1-2 business days.  Orders paid by check and money order will be held until funds clear (typically 7-10) business days.  Any returned check will incur a $35 fee.  Checks and money orders shall be made payable to “Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC” and mailed to:     Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC / P.O. Box 515 / Georgetown, DE 19947.  If you are picking items up in person, you MUST pay by cash.
  7. Non-PaymentIf a winning bidder does not honor his or her bid with payment in full within 14 days per auction rules, then it is agreed that Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC is entitled to a payment of $10 per day per lot from the non-paying winning bidder for storage & insurance of the unpaid lots until the matter is resolved.  In addition, Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC may choose one of the following four options: 1: Sell the given item(s) to the under-bidder (without giving notice to non-paying bidder), 2: Offer lot(s) in a future auction, 3: Return item to consignor upon consignor’s request, 4: Hold defaulting buyer liable for the entire purchase price in which he or she will be responsible for any and all: losses, damages, expenses, legal fees, and costs incurred by Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC in the collection of auction proceeds.
  8. Shipping – Costs for packaging, shipping, and insurance will be added to all invoices.  No lots will be shipped until full payment is received.  All items will be shipped either USPS or FedEx and fully insured with signature confirmation.  Items must be shipped to the winning buyer’s registered shipping address (check that address in your My Account page).  You, the winning bidder, must take direct possession of the item(s).  We will not ship to 3rd parties.  Items may be picked up in person the following Sunday after the auction close (by appointment only – or if other arrangements have been previously arranged) to save on shipping costs.  Payment must be by cash if you are picking your items up in person the following day – pickup location: 16842 Seashore Highway Georgetown, DE 19947.  Framed Items: We are not responsible for frame or glass damage during shipping.  Please allow at least two weeks from our receipt of payment for delivery of packages.
  9. Sales Tax – No Delaware Sales Tax
  10. ReturnsALL SALES ARE FINAL.  Bidder acknowledges and agrees that the items are auctioned and sold without warranties or guarantees.  Conflicting opinions of condition and/or authenticity from 3rd party authenticators are not grounds for initiating a return.  You must contact us by phone or email within 24 hours of receiving your package if there is a problem with your order.
  11. Service DisruptionIn the event of a major service disruption on our website, natural disaster, etc – Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC may reschedule or extend the auction for any time that it seems appropriate.  Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC is not responsible for lost bids to either the bidder or the consignor.  User hereby agrees that lost bids, lost information, service failure and the like are not the responsibility of Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC.  Additionally, Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC is not responsible or liable for the completion of any transaction for any reason and may choose to cancel any lot or auction for any reason or no reason at all. 
  12. Acceptance of Terms: Placing a bid constitutes acceptance of the above terms listed above.  Seashore Hwy Antique & Auction Center LLC reserves the right to reject any and all bids from any bidder for any reason.